Critical Care: The Doctor violates the Prime Directive?

[KimMH]

If contemporary science (particularly social sciences) recognizes that observation of subjects represents interference itself then how can Starfleet be stuck in this PD thing?

It's unfortunate that a great idea introduced in the 60s has been outgrown already and not updated for a sci-fi show that takes place centuries in our future.

In other words a plot device that has failed to keep up with the times . . .

 

[Guy Gardener]

Did you watch Friendship One?

Human technology in the hands of idiots decimated a planet.

They just don't want to be responsible for idiots doing idiot stuff idiotly.

The Prime Directive is a dsmple enough Prophylactic which stops them giving tech to idiots and stops them emptying their coffers for disaster relief from one side of the universe to the other... And then there's stopping them from deciding who deserves to win wars if they're not flipping a coin and even forcing peace is not good if the universe would have been better off if one side in a conflict had been killed and eaten?

How different do youthink the word would look today if the US hadn't flooded the middle east with "modern" weapons from one end of the 80s to the other that are still being used today? Of course, then Russia might not have fallen but the consequences of any action or inaction are complicated and far reaching.

Of course as said Heisenberg applies, that even telling people that the are being left up shit creek because it would violate the Prime Directive, would only introduce the Prime Directive to these canoe enthusiasts that no one would end up helping anyone... Which must be better than what the Cardassians did to the Bajorans when they insisted that they bring civilization to their backward nighbour.

 

[Renvar]

Any starship's CMO can do that, even if they're not a Starfleet officer. Phlox could have done the same thing, and he's obviously not in Starfleet. Their position as ship's doctor is what gives them the authority.

You're right, that was an incorrect analogy on my part. I stand relieved...I mean corrected.

If contemporary science (particularly social sciences) recognizes that observation of subjects represents interference itself then how can Starfleet be stuck in this PD thing?

Actually I believe the PD is meant to prevent direct, intentional interference. If observer effect was included in the PD it would basically mean that Earth would have to become a xenophobic society, for fear of contaminating others simply by looking at them. Accountability in this case cannot be placed when there is no intent to interfere.

This is not to say that this doesn't happen, as it did in TNG's "Who Watches the Watchers". The PD was not meant to be a perfect guide to correctly preserving the galaxy as we explore it. More like, it's a way for Starfleet to have their cake and eat it, too. Starfleet knows that it's very existence has an influence on other cultures. At the same time, they cannot deny their inherent curiosity about the cosmos. When it comes down to it, that does take priority over any unintentional consequences. It sounds kind of selfish when viewed from that angle, but one could argue that curiosity and selfishness are not that dissimilar.

 

[exodus]

I think that Critical Care is an exception to the whole possibility of the Prime Directive - the Doctor was stolen from the ship and handed over to these people. He does technically qualify as technology - stolen technology isn't exactly something that can be controlled, hence the word 'stolen.' Now, Tuvok could probably lose his job for lax security, but we're not discussing his errors.

Also, for the record, I think that the Prime Directive should be limited to pre-warp cultures, but that careful judgment should be taken before interfering in the internal affairs of another warp capable species.

Agreed

He was stolen, so the PD wasn't broken by his will.
He was stolen technology introduced into a society that wasn't ready for him. It was the head doc's fault for buying & accepting stolen goods.

The EMH isn't at fault because we learn in "Author, Author", he has no rights under Federation law. He is property and is the responsability of those that own him.

 

[Jaespol]

I don't think he broke it.
He wasn't even a Starfleet officer really, just a computer program as far as Starfleet are concerned, you just blame a computer programme changing a medical system of another world if it was stolen.

 

[Guy Gardener]

Riiiiiiiiiiight.

His personality made bad decisions since he was still left with a fasclimation of free will that he could have faught back to any unreasonable and disproportionate extent he chose to, but hthe Doctor was limited in his decisions since he had "ethical subroutines" which he could just turn off or erase if the situation became too grim, but that wouldn't be ethical would it, so he can't stop being ethical even though he has the ability to be inethical but not the compunction to chose between the two.

The Doctor shouldn't have been blamed for he did beause he is not a persona capable of shouldering blame.. And he is diposable an recyclable. His personality should have been radically altered tomake sure that no such thing ever happened again. the Doctor as we knew him should have been boxed and what replaced him who seemed to be him again no different would have found it impossible to make the same mistakes again because his new programming would now have the provisions and forethought to outthink this same situation, or anything too similar if it ever arose again... He is after all an "it" with no rights or "real" will of of his own beyond that which he is asked to pretend to have for novelty and entertainments sake.

Predators beleive in the Prime Directive don'tchu know?

What we could learn from one of their corpses, their hand held tech, their ship, evwen how they think from forensics or if we unrealistically caught one of them alive... Boom. They think that it's safer socialogicaly to nuke a few square miles rather than to give a leg up to monkeys who might just figure out how to build their own space ships, which is basicaly what happened to the Goul'd, who tried to be careful with handing out blasters to the primates, forbid them written lanuage for a few centuries and keep them all stuck in the dark ages and previous, but a fair fight is no fight worth fighting at all.

I wonder how Jane Goodall poluted the cultures she visited?